Urban Durham Wedding from Alders Photography

Have you ever seen a wedding so lovely? After spending the day with this summery North Carolina affair, I can’t remember if I have. This one is so wonderful and marvelous, with an ambiance of warmth stretching from the beautiful bride’s smiling eyes all the way to the uber cool The Cotton Room, it’s driven all other sweet soirees out of my mind. And there is a gallery, filled with love from Alders Photography, that is going to put you in a dreamy, fabulous mood!

Our wedding has been a long time in the making. We met in North Carolina more than 5 years ago, & spent a year as friends before realizing there was something more between us. Josh moved to California, & we decided to weather a two-year long-distance relationship. 6 months after Meghan moved to L.A., we took a day-trip down to Laguna Beach (with Meghan none the wiser) & came back engaged.

We wanted to be married in a church, so the ceremony was at the church Josh grew up in. We wanted a southern/urban feel for the reception; The Cotton Room-a converted textile factory-fit the bill perfectly! The helpful staff & delicious southern food were more than we could have hoped for.

We wanted the wedding to feel fun and unstuffy with touches of old-school elegance; We also wanted a few nods to Durham’s industrial history. Meghan made an inspiration board that helped us make decisions. The colors – teal and yellow – felt summery and refined, and are two of Meghan’s favorites.

During the ceremony,the pastor gave a wonderful homily, two friends read scripture & Josh’s sister sang our favorite folk hymn. We also sang a group hymn familiar to both our Catholic & Protestant family members. The reception had eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce favors & Josh’s favorite cannolis flown in from Philly.

One of our best friends gifted us with a honeymoon suite at the gorgeous Umstead Hotel, and we arrived to find a handwritten note from him with some champagne and strawberries. It was the perfect start to the perfect honeymoon; Josh surprised Meghan with a honeymoon in the Italian Riviera!

Advice? Relax! People spend their whole wedding day worrying about the things that could go wrong instead of enjoying the things that go right. At the end of the day, you’ll be married, so just enjoy the wedding with your new spouse and anyone who’s able to celebrate with you on your big day.

Photographer: Alders Photography / Hair Stylist: Posh the Salon / Caterer: The Cotton Room / Floral Designer: Tre Bella Flowers / Invitation Designer: Meghan Witzke / Dress Store: David’s Bridal / DJ: Mark McNally of Joe Bunn DJ Company / Bakery: Guglupf / Ceremony Venue: Church of the Good Shepherd / Reception Venue: The Cotton Room